The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is looking into the death of a University of Pennsylvania student who died after consuming a caffeinated drink at Panera Bread, her parents alleged in a lawsuit.
The suit claims that Sarah Katz, 21, drank a large “Charged Lemonade” at a Panera restaurant thinking it was a “traditional lemonade and/or electrolyte sports drink containing a reasonable amount of caffeine safe for her to drink.”
Katz had a known heart condition and monitored her caffeine intake, the suit claims. On Sept. 10, 2022, she suffered cardiac arrest soon after she drank the drink, the lawsuit says.
The FDA on Wednesday said it would be gathering information on the incident, WSB-TV reported.
“The FDA is saddened to hear of the passing of a consumer and as always, takes seriously reports of illnesses or injury from regulated products,” the agency said in a statement.
“At this point, we are gathering information about this event,” the agency added. “The agency monitors the marketplace of FDA-regulated products and takes action as appropriate, including collaborating with the Federal Trade Commission regarding marketing claims.”
According to the suit, Panera customers were not warned that one large Charged Lemonade, a 30-oz drink, contains 390 milligrams of caffeine - the equivalent of four cups of coffee or three-and-a-half 12-oz cans of Red Bull.
“Panera Charged Lemonade does not declare the total quantity of caffeine from all sources on the container itself — rather, it merely compares it to an unspecified size of Panera Dark Roast coffee, a beverage which does not contain the added stimulants of sugar and guarana,” the lawsuit alleges. The beverage “is a dangerous energy drink,” the suit claims.
According to Panera, the “Charged Lemonade” includes sugar, caffeine, coffee extract and guarana extract, which are both sources of caffeine.
The lawsuit challenges how the drink is referred to in restaurants.
“Defendants market, advertise, and sell Panera Charged Lemonade as a product that is ‘Plant-based and Clean with as much caffeine as our Dark Roast Coffee,’” the lawsuit reads. However, in their stores, Panera does “not specify what size of Panera Dark Roast coffee is akin to a Panera Charged Lemonade,” making the comparison vague and “unhelpful.”
Katz was diagnosed with long QT syndrome (LQTS) when she was 5, according to the suit, and managed symptoms by taking medication and limiting caffeine.
According to Katz’s autopsy report, her cause of death was listed as cardiac arrhythmia due to long QT syndrome, CNN reported.
“We were very saddened to learn this morning about the tragic passing of Sarah Katz, and our hearts go out to her family,” a Panera spokesperson said in a statement issued Monday in response to the lawsuit. “At Panera, we strongly believe in transparency around our ingredients. We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter.”
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